Shadow
by Head Explody
Summary: Someone from Snape's past comes and teaches DaDa during Harry's 5th year...Please r/r! COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Colored Hair

Title: Shadow  
  
Author: --Starbuck--  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Summary: Someone from Snape's past is the new DaDa teacher...PLEASE READ! It's not that horrible...  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance  
  
Severus Snape awoke just before dawn, like he did every morning. Beginning of a new year, beginning of a new awful year, filled with annoying first years, the insects that never got the gist and flew away no matter how many times you swatted at them. All the way up to seventh years, who sometimes thought they were too good for the rules, too good for the teachers, just wanting to get out.  
  
And then, as it had been for the past few years, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This made Snape sneer, Dumbledore always found a replacement. Of course Snape couldn't blame Dumbledore...  
  
He climbed out of bed, knowing that today would be his last student-free day before the term began. He wished it would last.  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Snape, dressed in robes that seemed blacker than usual, sat at the opposite end of the table from Professor Sprout, the only other person up at this hour. She was busy reading something, and Snape hurridly ate, glaring at the house tables in front of him. Tomorrow they would be filled with students. Then more would come through the door, and be all nervous as the sat on the stool and put the Sorting Hat on his head.  
  
He could almost hear his name being called...  
  
~*  
  
Snape, Severus!  
  
Snape walked up to the stool, trying not to show his nervousness. He glanced at the Slytherin table. All his family had been there, it'd be a disgrace if he didn't go, his parents would--  
  
SLYTHERIN! The hat shouted, and he walked over and sat down among the applause--  
  
*~  
  
"Good morning, Severus," Dumbledore said as he sat in the middle of the table and food appeared on his plate.  
  
"Good morning, Headmaster," he greeted icily.  
  
When he finished eating, he got up to leave, and as he did he almost ran into someone. He assumed it was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
  
"'scuse me," she mumbled coldly and sat down beside the chair Snape had just occupied, glaring.  
  
Snape said nothing, but glared at the back of her head, and then made his way down to the dungeouns to check his secret stores. Potter would not be stealing any more from his office, he was going to make sure of that...  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Snape woke up again, very reluctant. After he dressed he exited his room, already hearing the talk of the students. Then another figure exited right before him, dressed in long, black, billowing robes identical to his. He put on a sneer and walked past her.  
  
"Hey, watch it," she growled. Snape hadn't even seen her face clearly yet, but he already hated her.  
  
The entered the Great Hall together, in silence. Snape glanced at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry Potter's face instantly and glared at him, although he was talking to Hermione Granger and didn't notice.  
  
"Nice, isn't it?" He sneered.  
  
"Glorious," she replied in the same tone.  
  
Snape had a strange feeling that he had met her before, as they took the only two seats remaining, which were adjacent to each other. They both glared at the table. He knew he had seen her somewhere...  
  
"Did you go to Hogwarts?" He blurted out, but he was relieved at how cold it sounded...  
  
"Yes. Why?" She snapped back, glaring at the first years who had just come through the door behind Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Nothing, just thought I'd seen you somewhere before."  
  
"I was in Slytherin."  
  
That was a surprise to Snape. There was silence for a moment.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So what?"  
  
"So what house were you in?"  
  
"Slytherin. And I'm head of Slytherin."  
  
There was no more time for nasty comments or icy remarks, because the Sorting had just finished and Dumbledore stood up.  
  
"I know that you are anxious to eat, but before you get sleepy I want to remind you of a few rules." He looked very pointedly--although his eyes were twinkling--at the Gryffindor table, especially where Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George were sitting. Fred and George had mock expressions of innocence on their faces.  
  
"The Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students," his eyes flashed once again at Fred and Georgie. "No magic is to be used in the corridors between classes. Mr. Filch has a list of items that aren't allowed on school property, which can be viewed in his office." As he continued with the rules, he kept glancing at the Weasley twins. "...and finally, I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Laszla Sistare." There was a mild scatter of applause as Laszla Sistare glared at all the students.  
  
"Let the feast begin," he concluded, and sat down.  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Snape sneered at all the students he saw on his way to the dungeons, whether they were Slytherins or not. He told some off for standing in one place too long, and when he saw Harry and Hermione talked in whispered voices he took five points off of Gryffindor for loitering and plotting against a teacher. Then he saw Fred and George Weasley with a piece of parchment, scribbling things, but they took off and ran before he could say anything.  
  
When he finally reached the staircase, he again saw the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Laszla Sistare.  
  
"I thought your classroom was up there," Snape sneered, pointing upwards.  
  
Laszla smirked. "I decided to have it moved. Is there a problem?" She asked sweetly, putting on an innocent face.  
  
"Yes, there is a problem. That," he guestered to his classroom, "is my class. I don't want you near my class."  
  
Laszla glared again. "Too bad, Severus," she snapped. Then she took out her wand from the folds of her robes, pointed it at Snape, and muttere something before he could react. Then she laughed and walked into her office, which led to her room.  
  
Snape stormed into his office, slammed the door shut, ran into his bedroom, and stared at the mirror, before slamming his fist into it.  
  
His greasy black hair was flashing all different colors.  
  
Laszla Sistare of Slytherin was going to pay.  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Lol, it's not gonna be all Laszla-curses-Snape Snape-curses-Laszla stuff, there's a plot...;) 


	2. Damned Death Eaters

Title: Shadow  
Author: --Starbuck--  
Rating: PG13   
Summary: Someone from Snape's past is the new DaDa teacher...PLEASE READ! It's not that horrible...  
Genre: Drama/Romance  
  
  
The next day was the first day of classes. Snape got up grumpily and dressed in his black robes like he did every day. He hid is wand in his robe, if he got a chance he was going to get Professor Sistare back for his hair (which he had managed to fix after he had repaired his mirror).   
  
In the Great Hall, there was no sign of Laszla Sistare, so he sat down to eat his breakfast. Then, to his chagrin, she walked in and sat down beside him.  
  
"There's no shortage of chairs in here, Sistare," he said icily.  
  
"I'm well aware, Severus."  
  
"Snape, Sistare. Snape."  
  
"Fine. Snape then."  
  
"Why do you assume you're on a first name basis with me?" He asked coldly.  
  
"I thought after all--"  
  
"Never mind!" He snapped, picking up his fork and gripping it too tight. He didn't need all that right now...  
  
He glared out into the mass of students, and saw Harry Potter staring up at him. He put on his special look of loathing and Harry turned away and resumed talking to his friends.  
  
He ate quickly, and then stood up, almost knocking his chair over, and practically ran to the Potions dungeon, leaving a glaring Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher behind him.  
  
_Severus--  
No, don't say anything...I'm leaving, that's it.  
I want to be able to see you again, though, and--  
You will. I promise. You will.  
Severus...  
  
_ Snape slammed the door behind him and glanced at the schedule, clearing his mind of all thoughts of Laszla. Gryffindor and Slytherin, double Potions. His lips turned upward in an evil smile.  
  
Soon, students began quietly filing into the classroom. Harry, Hermione, and Ron took their usual seats in the back of the classroom, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle took their usual seats in front of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. It was their fifth year, and only two more years after this...  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Snape decided to avoid the Great Hall for lunch, he would just wait and get something later. But as he was about to enter his office, he saw that someone else was deciding to wait until later.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" He asked with a nasty tone.  
  
"I have as much right to be down here during lunch as you do, Severus," Laszla replied coldly.  
  
Snape couldn't think of a reply to this, it seemed to be too final. He swept off down the hall to his room.  
  
Laszla stood there for a moment, and then hurried after him.  
  
"Severus!"  
  
He stood and whirled around to face her, an angry expression on his face. Many people would have run away as fast as they could, but this did not seem to faze Laszla.  
  
"What is it?" He hissed at her. "Why can't you just accept it? It's over--"  
  
"You're the one who left," she said, taking a step forward so her face was an inch away from Snape's. "You're the one who left off to serve your Lord Voldemort and left me to have my family torn apart by your 'master'," she said the last word with a hint of sarcasm through her anger. "I bet you were with all those damned Death Eaters too, weren't you? Blowing up buildings and all that, thought it was all good fun--"  
  
"I didn't have anything to do with that!"  
  
"I can't believe that, Severus. But even if you didn't, even if you were on the other side of the world, you didn't do anything to stop it, did you?" Her voice was rising now.  
  
"I couldn't have done anything about it! That was at the height of his powers--"  
  
"--When you and your Death Eater friends were treated like royalty, free to kill anyone, you probably ended up killing your own parents, you didn't notice, it was all a game to you. Forty Galleons if you blow up the child! Eighty if you get the whole house! Didn't care about all the people *in* those houses, did you? Didn't care if you cursed the whole world, you had *Voldemort*, *Voldemort* would always be there, always give you more gold than you could handle, that power--"  
  
"Shut up," Snape whispered, listening to the footsteps coming towards his office.  
  
"Professor Sistare?" A meek voice called into the room next to the one they were in. Hearing no answer, the student walked back up the stairs.  
  
"Look, Laszla, I didn't do anything. I didn't kill your family, I was never anywhere near you."  
  
"How would you know? You left right after you got out of Hogwarts, you said your 'Goodbye' after we got off the train and then you Disapparated right on the spot, you didn't care what happened to me, didn't ask where I was going, or what I was planning to do with what life I had!"  
  
Snape didn't say anything. There was a very awkward silence.   
  
"If you feel that way, Professor Sistare, then excuse me, I have a class to prepare." They were perhaps the coldest words that every came out of his mouth, every syllabyl dripping indifference, hatred, and deep down, sadness, although his expression didn't show it, his eyes did.  
  
Then Laszla Sistare did something no one else had dared to do, and slapped Snape across the face.  
  
"Go to hell, Professor Snape," she said just as icily has he did, and stormed out of his office, black robes billowing behind her.  
  
Snape stood there, stunned, and raised his hand to where hers and struck him.   
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Should I continue? Or not? 


	3. Mysterious Things Happen in Dungeons

Title: Shadow  
  
Author: --Starbuck--  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Summary: Someone from Snape's past is the new DaDa teacher...PLEASE READ! It's not that horrible...  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance  
  
  
  
Snape couldn't sleep that night. He had been even more irritable and angry during his classes than normal. He hoped that Laszla was having as bad a night as he was.  
  
What she said had shaken him. ...you didn't care what happened to me, didn't ask where I was going... She had been right, he didn't know where she had been. He didn't know that while he was serving Voldemort that her family wasn't one that he had slaughtered. He didn't know that he hadn't caused her all that pain. He might have, it might have been all his fault that this was happning now...  
  
But what about the *other* thing that was happening now...Voldemort was coming back to power, what was going to happen to all the Death Eaters that had deserted him...  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
The next morning Snape climbed out of bed earlier than usual and dressed silently in his black robes, feeling sick. He stumbled into the bathroom and vomited, wiping his mouth on a black towel that was hanging in midair.  
  
He threw the towel to the side and stood up, feeling weak as if the bones had been removed from his legs. Looking in the mirror, he saw that he was more pale than usual.  
  
He tried to regain what composure he had left, and then exited his quarters, and then his office, making his way up to the Great Hall.  
  
There was only one figure up at this hour, sitting on the far side of the table beside the wall. She was just staring at her plate. Snape took a seat at the opposite end of the table and smirked at her.  
  
"What, is it your plate that amazing?"  
  
She didn't turn to look at him, just stared downwards.  
  
Snape ate in silence, not looking at Laszla Sistare on the other side of the table.  
  
~*  
  
Severus sat down beside her at the Slytherin table, telling her in an almost-excited tone about how many O.W.L.s he had gotten. She smiled at him, gave him a quick hug, and told him that she had gotten the same number. Excited, the both of them walked off, hand in hand to the dungeons for Potions...  
  
*~  
  
Snape glanced over at Laszla as he was leaving. He saw tears running down her face. He almost broke down for a moment, almost walked over there--  
  
"Good morning, Severus," Dumbledore smiled as he walked by.  
  
"Headmaster," he replied, and continued on his way down to the dungeons. As Dumbledore sat down, Laszla stood and began her way down to the dungeons.  
  
Snape put on a sneer and turned to face her.  
  
"What's the matter? Think I killed your family?"  
  
Laszla looked up, her face no longer tearstained but cold, hard, and her stare penetrating.  
  
"I don't know what to think about that, Snape. I've just finally come to realize--like you said--what happened. That was a long time ago, right? We should put it behind us. You were right. Always right. It doesn't matter what you did, everything happened a long time ago. We're just teaching at the same school. Just co-workers. That's all." Snape was surprised at her tone. It was lifeless, with no emotion. It sounded as if her words were pre-recorded, she was just repeating them dully.  
  
Snape's face seemed to soften for a moment. "What--?"  
  
Laszla ignored him, straightened her posture, and walked into her own classroom and slammed the door. Snape looked through the small window and saw her sit at her desk and bury her face in her arms.  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
It was midnight, all the students had gone to sleep early after their first week back at school, as had all the teachers. Except two, which were making their way out of their beds and into the corridor through the dungeons.  
  
Snape felt awful. He had been sick again when he got to his room, and while looking in the mirror just realized how thin he was getting. He hadn't been eating much in the last week and he had been vomiting a lot...His robes were hanging more loosely on him now...he didn't think it could do *that* much to him.  
  
Snape felt like walking, maybe he would catch some students out of bed and take points off of their house.  
  
There weren't many candles lighted, so when he passed an open door a dark figure bumped into him.  
  
"Watch it," he sneered, and then he remembered whose office that was...  
  
"Sorry, Severus," she said. Snape took a step backwards.  
  
"Sorry, Laszla. Didn't know it was you--"  
  
"Like that would have mattered. Only would have made you curse me or something, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Laszla, you know I'd never do that."  
  
"Oh sure, I know you'd never curse me, but you'd go off and be a Death Eater, wouldn't you? Don't use your house as an excuse either. I was there too, and even though you had to go along with almost every other one of the Slytherins and become a follower of Voldemort, I didn't. Know, even though I was in Slytherin, the house that turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other, I was the one hiding, Severus. You were the one killing for fun."  
  
Snape took a step forward this time. Even though they were the same height, it was hard to tell, because Laszla had her head bowed.  
  
"I'm not that anymore, Laszla. Do you think I'd be here if I was? I'd be in Azkaban or I'd go to where Voldemort is right now. You see this?" He lifted the sleeve of his robe, showing her the blackened Dark Mark. "It's been burning on and off since June. If I was still like that then I would have gone."  
  
"Why is it so important to tell me this? You left, what we were is over. You left me to go to Voldemort. It's really starting not to hurt anymore, Severus."  
  
Snape felt very hollow. "It's important because...because I never wanted things to change. Me leaving, I was under a false impression. It wasn't completely by choice that I did that. I've changed, Laszla, I want you to know that. It's important to *me* that you know."  
  
Laszla Sistare looked up and straight into Snape's eyes. Hers were no longer filled with tears, they looked cold and menacing, but there was sadness in there too.  
  
"Do you know what you did?" She whispered. "After you left, it was the end of the world for me. I felt like dying. Then after the attack on my family--imagine that, the family of a Slytherin killed by Death Eaters--and I wanted to find you, even though I knew you were one of them...I wanted to try to bring you back...but I guess you did that on your own...then I heard you were teaching here, and I've been trying to get a job, but this was the first year I answered the ads fast enough." She looked back at the floor and gave a short laugh. "I don't know why I came, don't know what I was thinking...probably knew it was just going to be more hell."  
  
There was a long silence. Snape put his arms around Laszla--a gesture he hadn't performed since his seventh year--and hugged her. He sensed that she was shocked--he sensed right--but not so much as he was...  
  
==XxXxX==  
  
Trying not to get *too* much out of character! Really, I'm trying! 


	4. Something Very Uncharacteristic Happens

Title: Shadow  
  
Author: --Starbuck--  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Summary: Someone from Snape's past is the new DaDa teacher...PLEASE READ! It's not that horrible...  
  
Genre: Drama/Romance  
  
  
  
The next morning Snape paused as he entered the Great Hall. There was only one vacant seat (he had come to breakfast later than usual), the other one beside Laszla, who was sitting next to Professor McGonagall. Snape took it and glared at all the students, especially Harry Potter, with his special look of loathing.  
  
"'Morning," Laszla murmured.  
  
"Yeah," Snape replied. They both seemed extremely uncomfortable, and discomfort was not a feeling usually felt by Professor Severus Snape, head of Slytherin House.  
  
They finished breakfast without another word to each other, and then took off together for the dungeons.  
  
"Listen, about last night--" Laszla began, but Snape cut her off.  
  
"It's alright. Forget about it."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Snape answered, "No."  
  
"Make up your mind, Snape," she said, turning to face him, her lips turning upward in the frightening grin Snape often used to frighten annoying students. Snape had to grin--something he hadn't done in years.  
  
"What?" She asked dangerously.  
  
"Nothing," he said.  
  
"What?" She asked again, raising her tone.  
  
"It's just your...smile."  
  
"What about it?" She said, frowning.  
  
"I do the same thing...frightens off students...they think I'm dangerous."  
  
"Wonder why," Laszla said sarcastically. She seemed more alive than she had before, even when Snape watched her catch the Snitch to win the Quidditch Cup for the fifth year in a row in their seventh year.  
  
Snape's scowl returned as three students walked passed them to get into the Potions dungeon. Laszla snapped at them.  
  
"Not so loud! Next time you go by shouting like that, detention!"  
  
Snape smiled an evil smile at her. "I think you're getting it."  
  
As they stopped in between the Potions dungeon and the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, Snape and Laszla stared each other straight in the eye.  
  
"Are you still mad at me?" Snape asked softly.  
  
"No," she said finally. "I guess...you were right about Voldemort. You know...my brother, Fearse, he went off to be a Death Eater too. Never heard from him again. I'm glad you were different." She gave an extremely rare smile.  
  
Snape was caught off guard. "Er--"  
  
"It's alright. Forget about it."  
  
There was an awkward pause, as some third year Hufflepuffs sniggered while entering the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. But both Snape and Laszla forgot to bark at them for laughing.  
  
Instead, Snape did something very uncharacteristic, something that he hadn't done since his seventh year at Hogwarts--  
  
He pulled Laszla into a passionate kiss.  
  
And as Harry, Hermione, and Ron turned the corner to the corridor, they all dropped their books in fright and almost fainted dead away.  
  
==XxXxX==~FIN~==XxXxX== 


End file.
